AUGUST 7: The trade is now official, the Grizzlies announced in a press release. While Merrill’s salary for 2021/22 is not yet fully guaranteed, Memphis intends to guarantee his deal and keep him on the roster, reports Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link).
AUGUST 6: The Grizzlies have agreed to deal guard Grayson Allen to the Bucks for guard Sam Merrill and two future second-round picks, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Allen, who is entering his fourth NBA season, had a breakout year for Memphis in which he started 38 of 50 games and averaged 10.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG and 2.2 APG. The former Duke star has knocked down 38.1% of his 3-point attempts during his three-year career and will give the Bucks another perimeter option.
Milwaukee will absorb Allen’s contract using a $4.89MM traded player exception generated by a deal this past winter that sent guard D.J. Augustin to the Rockets, according to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer (Twitter link).
Allen has an expiring $4.1MM contract and is eligible for a rookie scale extension. Merrill has a $500K guarantee on his contract and his $1.5MM deal will become fully guaranteed if he’s on Memphis’ roster through Sunday, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. It’s uncertain whether Memphis plans to keep Merrill, a 2020 second-pick who appeared in 30 regular season games with the Bucks.
Milwaukee’s projected luxury tax bill will jump via this acquisition. The team’s luxury tax penalty will increase from $36MM to $44MM, Marks notes in a separate tweet. Milwaukee is right at $200MM in salary and luxury tax, Marks adds.
IMO
This is the best trade so far this year.
Allen has a chance to become the best 3 point shooter in the nba this season
According to my eye test.
Sillivan Sillivan Sillivan…
I think your eye test is missing a few rows of big giant bold letters. Let’s see if Grayson Allen can finish in the top 20 and hit 42% of his 3-point shots first. Let’s also see if he can play enough minutes to qualify because he does experience a little injury bug unfortunately.
Well to be fair he did say “has a chance” which is true. The potential is certainly there and going to the Bucks certainly helps.
Excuse me? He finished 72nd last season. Before he “has a chance” to be the best 3-point percentage shooter I’d like to see him reach maybe the top 30 LOL, then maybe he “has a chance” at being THE BEST 3-point percentage shooter next year..
But I hear what you’re saying, I’m just thinking that chance is remote for next season. I do like the the trade to the Bucks. Good move.
You’re excused.
And no…before he “has a chance,” he does not have to finish in the top 30. I think people are simply observing the recent history of 3 point shooters in Milwaukee and using some common sense to project.
Bobby Portis-Career 36% from 3
47.1% in his first year in Milwaukee
Bryn Forbes
40% 3 point shooter
45.2% 3 point shooter yr 1 in Milwaukee
Lets go back a year
George Hill-.378% from 3 for his career
2019-2020 46% led the league in Milwaukee
How about one more year to see the contrast?
Malcom Brogdon 42.8% with the MVP Giannis his last year in Milwaukee
The next year in Indy 32.6% from 3.
So yeah, he doesn’t need to do anything first OTHER than show he can shoot the 3…which he has as he’s shot ~40% the previous two years WITHOUT the benefit of having the league’s MVP and most dominant big man creating more open 3’s than any other player in the game at this point in time.
I don’t think his eye test is missing anything…I think he’s just using common sense…seeing a guy who is CLEARLY a very good shooter and then projecting how many MORE opens shots he’s almost certain to get…and…again, just using common sense.
HiAndTight, you make great points. Another thumbs up. Good post.
U brought stats redsox fanlol
65 players shot better than Allen from three last year and the best, Joe Harris, shot around 8% higher. If he wants to be the best in the league, he better practice 24/7 until next year.
You have got to be kidding. I’ve seen this kid miss the backboard as well. And he’s a defensive liability as well, outside of just being genuinely disliked.
My most hated player, now I gotta be against Giannis smh, not good
Not my favorite player either, but why raise your blood pressure? Giannis is guilty by association?
I mean…yeah, kinda.
Not for me…I bleed…well, red, but I DO love the Bucks, so I will love Grayson Allen while he’s here, but I absolutely understand if someone’s hatred for one player(particularly an annoying, cocky white kid from Duke) can make you root against whatever team he’s on…even if you really like Giannis!
Exactly right on all counts. Dude “grinds my gears” just by looking at him. I love Giannis! I am GSW all day and wanted him to join us, but also I was pulling for him all last season as my fave east team. Now? Nah. Grayson Allen deserves nothing.
What’s “white” got to do with it?
@HiAndTight: he’s more than merely annoying. He’s a dirty player with a history of tripping, kicking, and elbowing other players. Most hateable dude in the league.
Lakers did not know Allen is available for trade?
Lakers and Grizzlies GM are friends, and Lakers have more than enough assets to acquire him.
Tucker and those old men can’t shoot from the three any more.
Lakers sign 4 guys who shot 40% from 3 do your research and no they don’t have anything to offer other than Dennis and some picks
The Bucks just offered a nobody and two future 2nd round picks.
Any team in the league could have made this trade. Sam Merril…the “Luka of the Mac Conf,” wasn’t worth anything.
Not that the Lakers needed to make this trade by any means, but…it certainly would have helped them. They’d have his bird rights and he would have been a valuable salary next year…especially on a team like LAL…similar to Milwaukee where he’s likely to improve upon his numbers and be worth more next year in free agency where you’d likely recoup your value and then some in a sign and trade.
Phil Jackson was more than friends with the Lakers owner and you didn’t see them entering and dealing. What’s your point?
Like this move for the Bucks. Can’t stand Allen but he provides some good depth for them.
This is actually true. He might be coming into his own as an NBA player. Good move for the bucks.
Yup. Good move. Free agents ran dry and it always felt like they were a player short. I hope Grayson shoots and nothing more.
I hope two things.
1-It doesn’t have ANYTHING to do with the status of Donte DiVincenzo moving forward. I’m terrified the Bucks aren’t going to want to hand out the 12-15 million dollars per year to him…even 20 million if he’s healthy next year and continues to improve.
2-He continues to buy in defensively and he can match Pat Connaughton and Donte’s intensity.
He has gotten better each year defensively and he DOES have a 41 inch vertical…so he should be able to crash the boards like DD or Patty and make some of those plays. I’ve just never seen him do that, but he’s due to become a free agent.
So if he has a big year, hits lets say 45% from 3 and kinda leads that 2nd unit, he COULD be a player that you can turn around and deal next year for a 1st in a sign and trade…and if nothing else, you get another really good shooter as you try and repeat.
But I REALLY do not want to see DD mentioned in anymore trade rumors. I really hope this is primarily to guard against injury and just add another shooter for cheap.
The guy opponents hate and teammates love. I would love this guy on the Cavs but not as a starter ahead of Sexland. He deserves to be a starter tho. Such an annoying guy. He’s like a mini-Lambier. A real throwback.
That’s often a true statement but in this case I’m not sure. This is his third team in four years..
Do his teammates actually love him, though? Serious question. I would have hated his antics on Duke if I was his teammate, racking up technicals and and tripping/trying to injure others. Not sure if he’s mellowed in the pros, but his behavior at Duke did not seem team-oriented.
I thought trade exceptions didn’t add to tax liabilities. Am I incorrect on this?
A trade exception itself doesn’t count toward the tax. But if use the exception on a player, that player’s salary counts toward the tax.
Nice role player for the bucks love his intensity. Bucks bench looking interesting . Might need another back up pig and a third string pg .
Good move for Bucks. They are strengthening their bench. It’s what they needed to do. I like it.
Bucks seem focused for a repeat. Still not a big fan of their coach. I like what they’ve done so far. You can always up your game someway. So coaches can too. Hey
Yeah…I’m with you when it comes to Bud, but I’m HOPING that just as players like LeBron or Jordan or…whoever, a great player that finally gets over the hump and wins that first title, and the pressure is off and their play increases…I’m hoping against hope that this is what Bud does.
Also…while I’d still like to see Charles Lee or Darvin Ham as the HC of this Bucks team, he DID actually make some pretty nice adjustments in the playoffs this year. Vs the Nets it was mostly just not playing Portis as Durant was abusing him and they were switching too easily, the Hawks it was some little things like keeping Lopez in there, and while they stayed with that drop, they did have Lopez drop LESS so they could force Trae to make a decision quicker…and then obviously in the Finals it was to both put Jrue on Paul and have him pressure for 80 feet, but then also to run the offense through Middleton moreso than Holliday. The last one…that was no small thing either. Holliday didn’t have it going offensively and Middleton is a much better passer and facilitator than given credit for.
And maybe the biggest change at all, they didn’t have Giannis bring the ball up nearly as much. They’d give him the ball on the wing where he could create more advantageous angles, but not just at the top of the key or as the primary ball handler.
Now…are most of those things fairly obvious and am I trying to just convince myself Bud’s the guy because I know we’re tied to him and I’d rather like my teams HC than hate him?
Probably…but…I’m still off the euphoria of winning a Chip, so I choose blind optimism at this point!
Now, if we’re talking about those goddamn Packers…..
Of course Warriors fans like Marty are against the Greek Freak since his Bucks are favored to return to the Finals and Golden State will continue being a play-in team.
After watching the last two seasons, until the Warriors prove otherwise, you could be right. Fingers crossed they’re a top 5 seed, maybe six.
Oh good, another dirty player for the Bucks.
What a culture they have going in the dairyland.
Huh? Who are all the dirty players on the Bucks?
Well, Grayson Allen for one. Also Gino moved under Kyrie and did something similar to Durant a game later.
He’s tough and he’s an exceptional player, but he’ll do “anything” to win which is a bit sketchy in my book, when it involves potentially injuring others.
This is just insane. First of all, his name’s not “Gino.”
Second, he did absolutely NOTHING dirty in that Nets series. He stood under the basket waiting to see if the ball was going in and NEVER looked down.
Kyrie stepped on his foot and like he has EVERY year since HS except 3, he couldn’t play in his teams last game due to injury.
I have even less clue what you’re talking about with Giannis, but given that you think the Kyrie play was dirty…I’m guessing it’s got just as little validity to it.
I KNOW his name isn’t Gino it’s just a nickname and shorter to type. Take a breathe!
Lol another poor Lil D take
lmao you said ‘another dirty player’ in reference to Grayson Allen, then when pressed for any other players your first answer was ‘Grayson Allen’. Take your L.
he’s not their anymore, but how bout zaza pachulia? gotta always have one on the roster somewhere.
Seriously Lil D, who on the Bucks is Dirty. Trae ran into a ref. Kyrie stepped on Giannis’s foot. He didn’t illegally shift over to purposefully have Kyrie land on his foot. Is it cuz the Bucks aren’t little b****es like Harden, kyrie and KD are? Maybe watch the game a little closer and watch how those guys purposely flop and run into guys. Honestly, it’s karma for trying to flop and draw cheap fouls. Karma was on the Bucks side when Giannis was able to come back after that nasty injury
Hey Woodrow is your last name Wilson because while you give opinions with your face hidden behind a fence I’m mixing it up in the paint like Bob Vila.
Gino is dirty. No excuses. It got him a title after all…
Dude…what a timely reference. A show from the late 80s/90s? Is that what you just did?
Calling GIANNIS dirty and claiming he intentionally injured Kyrie? It’s just nonsense.
He came over looking to contest…wasn’t able to and then literally just stood there under the basket.
I’ll give you Allen, he does have a rep as a dirty player. I don’t know if he still is. I haven’t seen his play much since he was traded by the Jazz. He may not play like he did at Duke anymore.
I rewatched that play the specifically the 1st time you called Giannis a dirty player and saw nothing. He was standing there and Kyrie landed on him. He didn’t move over there to injure ala Bruce Bowen he moved over to contest or rebound.
What an absurd take. Just watched the replay of that play and it was clearly inadvertent. Giannis was just positioning himself for the rebound and was looking up at the ball the entire time.
Great move. He really fits their playing style. Tough gritty player that should improve his %s. Not a Bucks fan but this makes so much sense for them.
More teams in the Bucks’ position (no projected cap space and little draft or trade capital, for years to come) should kick the tires on almost all mid-tier 4th year RSC guys like Allen, if they become available.
This is a great fit for him and the Bucks. Or a scary fit if you are (like me) a fan of another team in the East
Who is he kickin next?
Haven’t seen much of Allen, but fwiw Merrill looked reliable shooter in the little time he got last season, imo.
hi everyone, can anyone explains how bucks gets a $4.89M trade exception from Tucker/Augustin trade? from information that i can gather, Tucker and Kurucs’ salaries are $9.7M combined, while Augustin and Wilson’s salaries are $11.2M combined. I don’t really get how trade exception works but I’m willing to learn. Thanks
In a two-for-two trade like the Rockets/Bucks deal (or in any trade, really), each team is permitted to structure it into “separate” smaller deals in a way that maximizes their flexibility.
So from the Bucks’ perspective, that trade would’ve broken down as follows:
1. Wilson ($4,548,280) for Tucker ($7,969,537) — this works for matching purposes because the Bucks are allowed to take back up to $8,059,490 for Wilson (175% of his salary + $100K).
2. Augustin ($6,666,667) for Kurucs ($1,780,152) — the difference between their two salaries ($4,886,515) is the amount of the trade exception the Bucks created.
Our glossary entry on trade exceptions explains these rules in more detail: link to hoopsrumors.com
Why are they allowed to take back 175% of the salary in this case? Normally it’s significantly less.
Why is it less in this particular case than the 120%+ 100K that it is in any other trade with two teams over the cap?
Just to be clear…I’m not questioning you, I’m just curious why in this situation it’s 120+100K.
If it was 175% +100K, then SOOOO many more trades would be possible. It’d be a lot easier to make trades.
If it was 175% then surely the Spurs wouldn’t be taking back Aminu, right? They could have gotten it done with Young(who has value at 14 and change) as well as a two way player or two.
It seems like the CBA is almost as complicated as humanly possible!
And I DID see how a non-taxpaying club can make a trade if it’s under…what, 6,533,333…but the Bucks were a tax paying club last year…
I would have thought that would have negated the TPE. But is it because they only became one after the Jrue hit his incentives in the finals that it’s not applicable?
Yeah, for non-taxpayers, the 175% rule applies to any amount under $6,533,333, which Wilson’s salary was.
The Bucks were technically a non-taxpayer at the time, since they didn’t cross that tax threshold until later in the season.
thank you for the explanation Luke, i have been reading your website regularly for awhile now and it’s one of the most comprehensive and most detailed nba contents. keep it up!
Appreciate it, thanks!
Good for Sam, glad they are going to keep him on the roster
$8M+ of wasted money is what I see in this move. Not sure the bucks needed him.
They definitely needed one more shooter.
Allen looks like a Pen15.